Looking at Ling Wushuang, who was lunging toward him, the man remained unconcerned, giving a light pat to the giant ape beneath him.
The giant ape let out a furious roar at Ling Wushuang, knocking him straight out of the air.
This was the giant ape's sonic attack. Below the Soul Formation stage, it was entirely impossible to defend against unless one possessed a Dharma Treasure specifically designed to counter sound-based assaults.
A shield suddenly materialized before Ling Wushuang. Though he had been forced down, he sustained no heavy injuries.
"What a formidable sonic attack! Though my Dharma Treasure barely managed to withstand the impact, the sound waves still threw the Spiritual Qi within my body into turmoil. This is rather troublesome."
Even Ling Wushuang had not expected the giant ape to be so powerful; a single roar had thrown his Spiritual Qi into disarray.
"Little brat, do you have any other tricks? Use them now, or you won't get another chance."
Instead of pressing his advantage, the man spoke with the playful detachment of a cat toying with a mouse.
He had already swept through the entire Abyss Secret Realm second layer. At the passages connecting the upper and lower layers, he had stationed two peak Nascent Soul stage Demon Beasts, ensuring no one could enter or leave. He had ample time to toy with them.
How could he simply kill these people and be done with it, given the old grudge of his sect's destruction? That would let them off far too lightly.
He was originally Fan Kangbo, the Beast-Control Sect Leader's youngest son, named Fan Hongfei. Because he possessed only a Yellow Spirit Root, his cultivation progress had been extremely slow. At twelve years old, he was only at the eighth layer of Qi Condensation. For an ordinary person, that was already respectable, but for a Sect Leader's son, it was clearly insufficient.
Fortunately, being the Sect Leader's son, no one in the sect looked down on him. Instead, they doted on him as their little junior brother. Although his cultivation was mediocre, he showed immense talent in the Beast-Control Technique.
Back at the Qi Condensation stage, he had already been able to control mid-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts across a major realm. Ordinary senior and junior brothers could only command beasts matching their own cultivation level, while even talented ones could only master beasts one minor realm higher.
Because of their mastery over beasts, Beast-Control Sect disciples nearly always triumphed in same-level battles against disciples of other sects. Naturally, this bred jealousy among rival factions.
At first, those outsiders came with humble inquiries, seeking guidance. Under pressure, the Beast-Control Sect shared some basic techniques, though their core methods remained strictly guarded.
Naturally, those factions were far from satisfied. Gradually, they began suppressing the Beast-Control Sect, eventually branding them as an evil sect.
Perhaps foreseeing the impending disaster, Sect Leader Fan Kangbo sent his youngest son Fan Hongfei away under an assumed identity, publicly claiming the boy had died in a training accident.
It was precisely Fan Kangbo's foresight that preserved Fan Hongfei's life. Shortly after, the major sects of Qingzhou joined forces and wiped out the Beast-Control Sect. From then on, every major sect established its own beast-control division-the Tianyuan Sect's Immortal Beast Peak being one of them.
The destruction of his sect dealt a devastating blow to the twelve or thirteen-year-old Fan Hongfei, leaving him drifting between lucidity and madness.
Years later, a minor family took him in as an adoptive son. After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he entered the Abyss Secret Realm on that family's behalf.
From the moment he stepped inside, he never left again.
Normally, when the time expired, the realm's rejection would expel everyone. Yet by sheer coincidence, Fan Hongfei discovered a manual in the second layer-another beast-control method, but far from ordinary. It relied on a Blood Essence Contract to bind master and beast into a shared destiny of glory or destruction.
Though brutally domineering, the method carried a distinct advantage: master and beast advanced as one, their cultivation growing together. Given his strength at the time, he could only bind a newly matured peak Foundation Establishment giant ape. Once bound, they became a single entity, allowing him to bypass the realm's expulsion.
Trapped where he could not cultivate normally, and with the Demon Beast maturing slowly, he spent three hundred years in seclusion until the giant ape finally broke through to the Soul Formation stage. Only then did he set out to exact his revenge.
He knew the secret realm imposed an age limit, making it virtually impossible for any prodigy under fifty to reach the Soul Formation stage. With a Soul Formation stage giant ape at his side, he was now truly invincible within this realm.
While Ling Wushuang and Fan Hongfei remained locked in a standoff, total chaos had erupted elsewhere.
The moment Ling Wushuang made his move, the disciples reeled back their Spiritual Qi and dismantled the Formation, leaving the path wide open for the swarming Demon Beasts as everyone drew upon their ultimate abilities.
Yet the Demon Beasts were not only numerous; their combat power far outstripped that of the disciples. Instantly, several cultivators fell miserably under their onslaught.
Qin Xiao bolted in a chosen direction, only to be intercepted by a Golden Core stage Demon Beast. Amidst the swarming horde, avoiding notice was impossible.
Elsewhere, Yun Man kept a peak Nascent Soul stage Demon Beast at bay. Though she was slowly yielding ground, she remained composed and showed no signs of injury.
Cang Xing faced a similar plight against another peak Nascent Soul stage beast, trading blows evenly without an immediate victor in sight.
"We cannot keep this up! Cang Xing, let us blast a breach together, or every last disciple will die here!"
Su Lin found himself similarly cornered by a peak Nascent Soul stage beast. Realizing this war of attrition spelled certain death, he shouted across to Cang Xing, casting aside all hesitation.
Though their two sects were bitter rivals whose disciples constantly bickered, such grievances meant nothing now. One misstep, and they would all perish.
Qin Xiao had no spare attention to give the others; a single Golden Core stage giant bear was already keeping him thoroughly occupied. Though his Body Refinement had reached the great completion of the second layer, it was not yet the third. A Golden Core stage beast could still inflict serious harm.
Before he could dwell on it, the giant bear lashed out with a casual swipe, clearly unwilling to waste time on a mortal it deemed beneath notice.
Anticipating the move, Qin Xiao dodged at the final instant. His current speed rivaled that of a Golden Core cultivator, and the bear's blow had been offhand.
Startled that a mortal had evaded its strike, the bear paused for only a fraction of a second before bringing its massive paw down again.
With the distance now closed entirely, Qin Xiao had no room to dodge. He could only throw up a defensive posture and brace for impact.
Yet just as the claw descended, a protective barrier flickered to life around him, sending the bear's paw bouncing off.
"Ah, right! How could I forget the Heart-Protecting Turtle Shell? It's a Low Grade Dharma Treasure with autonomous defense."
Noticing the barrier, Qin Xiao remembered his protective gear.
"You mangy bear, you nearly had me. Now it's my turn!"
Empowered by the shield, Qin Xiao resolved to counterattack. If he failed to take down this beast, he would never find an opening to escape.
The giant bear looked utterly baffled. It had clearly landed the blow, so why had it bounced off?
Lacking high intelligence, the beast simply raised both paws and hammered down once more, operating on the simple logic that if one strike failed, more would suffice.
Instead of dodging, Qin Xiao absorbed the shock and drove a kick straight toward the bear's most vulnerable spot. Whether man or beast, that weakness remained universal.
Caught completely off guard by the counterattack, the bear took the full force of the blow directly. It instantly doubled over, collapsing onto the ground and rolling in agony.
Piercing wails echoed endlessly across the second layer.
The wretched cries caused everyone in the vicinity to pause and glance over in astonishment.
"What are you staring at? Run!"
Meeting their gazes, Qin Xiao yelled at the top of his lungs before sprinting into the distance.
Reacting swiftly, many disciples seized the moment while their opponents were momentarily stunned and scattered in all directions.
"How amusing. A mortal actually managed to injure a Golden Core stage Demon Beast."
Watching Qin Xiao's retreating figure, Fan Hongfei offered a playful smirk.
He was in no rush. The exits were already sealed by the Nascent Soul stage beasts under his command. Not even a mere mortal-let alone Ling Wushuang standing right before him-could possibly escape.